A vicious female is trapped in a beastly hell.

Chapter 423 Awakening
Shen Tang looked at him, puzzled. "What does this have to do with you?"

Qiu Yang seemed to understand something. He clutched his head, his eyes bloodshot, and said in anguish and regret, "That arrow at the volcano back then, I shot it... Originally, the plan was for that arrow to hit you, but I never expected His Majesty to take it for you..."

Shen Tang's eyebrows twitched, her expression turned slightly cool, and she said calmly, "I already knew about this. This was a staged performance by you all to evade responsibility. There's nothing more to say."

"...Do you think His Majesty deliberately put on a show of suffering for you?"

"Isn't that right? He can use this opportunity to fake his death and escape, while also leaving a lasting impression on me, making me unable to forget him for the rest of my life." Saving my life is one thing, deceiving me is another, Shen Tang's tone became much colder as she said this.

"His Majesty initially intended to fake his death to escape, but that arrow was not part of his plan," Qiu Yang said with a wry smile. "How could someone as intelligent as His Majesty gamble with his life? If that arrow had truly pierced his vital point, he might have really lost his life!"

Shen Tang was silent for a moment, not knowing what to say, and stammered, "Then he didn't die either."

Qiu Yang's breathing became heavy and his voice hoarse.
"What if His Majesty had died once?"

Shen Tang looked up at him in astonishment, "What?"

Qiu Yang's expression grew increasingly pained and remorseful, wishing he could commit suicide to atone for his sins. "It was my fault. I was too stubborn, foolish, and extreme. I always thought that His Majesty must not fall in love with a foreign female. Back at the volcano, I could see that His Majesty had feelings for you, so I took it upon myself to shoot that arrow."

"I never imagined His Majesty would actually take that arrow for you, and I never imagined that it would pierce his heart!"

“When we came out of the volcano, His Majesty was seriously injured and unconscious, his breath was extremely weak, and I... I could hardly feel his life force.” Qiu Yang’s voice choked with sobs, “Fortunately, His Majesty was saved by the Blood Soul Pearl left by the late emperor.

“I felt extremely guilty at the time, but I thought that once His Majesty recovered, there would be no major problems. Besides, although the Blood Soul Pearl that the late Emperor left to His Majesty was used up, His Majesty still has his own essence blood protecting him, and no one can hurt him.”

Qiu Yang looked at Shen Tang with a complicated expression and said, "But I never expected that His Majesty would return the Blood Soul Pearl he refined to you. Now that His Majesty's heart is not protected by his essence blood, if he is seriously injured by the slightest carelessness, he may very well lose his life!"

As he spoke, he muttered to himself again, filled with anguish and self-reproach, "...No wonder the imperial physician said that His Majesty's health has never fully recovered. It's all my fault; I've hurt His Majesty..."

Shen Tang remained silent for a long time, lost in thought.

So, Shen Li really did die once.

The system's judgment was correct; his vital signs had indeed disappeared, and he was declared dead. If it weren't for the Blood Soul Pearl left to him by the late emperor, he probably would have been dead long ago.

She detected an old injury on Shen Li's heart, which was probably inflicted around that time.

A heart deprived of the protection of vital essence and blood is as fragile as paper; if it suffers another severe injury, it may very well be beyond saving.

Shen Tang suddenly recalled that she had stabbed him that night in Zhuoxiang Palace.

At the time, she couldn't understand why Shen Li, with his strength, seemed so badly injured and unusually angry, when he clearly couldn't cause him much harm.

At the time, Shen Tang didn't really intend to stab him out of anger; it was just a subconscious retaliation. She felt a little guilty afterward, but she was also angered by his words, which made her even more furious.

At this moment, Shen Tang finally understood why Shen Li had been so furious and disappointed.

If she had exerted just a little more force that night, the Yiyuan Empire would probably have changed its name by tomorrow morning.

Shen Tang's fingertips trembled slightly at her side, a mixture of annoyance, sadness, regret, and anger.

Too many emotions were mixed together, making her heart feel heavy and uncomfortable. After a long period of repentance, Qiu Yang fell silent again. After all, what was done was done, and it was too late to say anything now.

Qiu Yang looked at Shen Tang with complicated emotions. His pale lips trembled, and after a long pause, he finally said, "His Majesty really loves you, but there are many things he has no choice in."

"You are a very good female."

"It's a pity that you and His Majesty are ultimately not on the same path, otherwise I would definitely support you and His Majesty being together."

"..." Shen Tang never expected that Qiu Yang, who had always disliked her, would say such a thing.

After struggling for so long, he finally accepted the truth.

Qiu Yang had tried so hard to protect His Majesty and the Empire, but because of his own selfish desires and acting on his own initiative, he ended up hurting Shen Li.

Now, Qiu Yang no longer wants to do things in vain. There are some things that he shouldn't overstep his bounds to do; he just needs to do his job well.

This old fox suddenly softened his attitude today and even said something nice to her, which was quite rare. Shen Tang knew very well what his purpose was.

She said earnestly, "The past is the past, I won't dwell on it anymore. Don't worry, I will do my best to help him get treatment."

Putting everything else aside, Shen Li saved her life, and Shen Tang would disregard past grievances and do her best to treat him.

"Thank you, Master! Please heal His Majesty. This old minister is willing to serve you like a cow or a horse to repay you!" Qiu Yang was sincere this time.

"Hehe, there's no need to be a slave. The situation at the front is urgent, and we really need your help."

"Rest assured, I will go through fire and water and do my utmost!"

Qiu Yang was forced to go to the battlefield, which he was very unwilling to do. He did his best to slack off and never showed his true strength.

After tonight, his attitude changed drastically. He unleashed his full strength on the battlefield, causing many rebels to flee in disarray.

A few days later, good news came from the system: [Host is lucky! The serum targeting the zombie army has been successfully developed! One hundred vials of serum are now being distributed to the host. If there is any additional need, you can purchase them directly from the system store!]

The serum is used as follows: release it in areas where zombies are concentrated; this will eliminate all zombies within a 5-kilometer radius!

After obtaining the serum, Shen Tang led a team to the battlefield and handed it over to Xiao Jin and his men, who then distributed the serum in areas where zombies had gathered.

After returning from the battlefield, Shen Tang went home to help Shen Li with her treatment.

Several days have passed, and Shen Li's injuries have healed, but he still shows no signs of waking up.

Shen Tang glanced at the night view outside the window, sighed softly, and got up to leave after completing today's healing session.

suddenly.

A long, slender, slightly cool hand took her hand.

"Xiaotang...don't go..."